


Where the Heart Belongs

by crazitaco



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, One Shot, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Pre-Toy Story 4, literal heart-to-heart, random encounter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24176224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazitaco/pseuds/crazitaco
Summary: After the events of Kingdom Hearts III, Sora encounters a new heart.
Kudos: 12





	Where the Heart Belongs

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains spoilers, however I would not say for sure that its canon-compliant. I haven't consumed every bit of Kingdom Hearts lore out there and its sometimes tricky to interpret. Also I love Forky! But what he does and doesn't know is oddly inconsistent in the movie and shorts. So there is also a bit of an attempt to explain why he knows some things.

_“My friends are my power!”_

_“Your time in this world is over."_

Sora had no idea how much time had passed, or if it even did anymore. The memories of what had happened after he sought out Kairi's heart were entirely non-existent. Darkness as far as the eye could see surrounded him, except for the endless beacon of hearts before him. Individually, each heart emitted a modest amount of light, but when gathered together in great numbers they formed a radiant stream of light which split the darkness like a river.

Where the hearts were going, he wasn't sure. As they rose through the darkness, they seemed to collect somewhere high above, somewhere brighter than he could see. A part of him felt a strange pull to join the other hearts and follow them to whatever lied beyond that light. But another part told him that wasn't right. He felt torn. Why was he here? What was going to happen to him?

Fear set upon him; he was truly alone now. Existing somewhere outside of time, the distance from his friends represented an infinite and impassable abyss. They were gone, or was he gone? He wished he could laugh with Donald, or hear Goofy’s reassuring words. Sora dared himself to look down, hovering silently just outside the stream. He couldn't see where the hearts were coming from amidst the foggy darkness.

He had been staring at the beacon of hearts too long when he thought he saw something shoot out of it. Like a tiny ember that had escaped a roaring fire, or a firefly.

As he drew closer to it, he realized it was little heart. And it was descending fast into the darkness.

“No!”

He couldn’t just stay there and watch a life throw itself away.

Sora dove into the fog, chasing after that firefly. It seemed to react to his pursuit by fleeing even quicker. He wouldn't give up so easily, he narrowed his body more tightly to catch up to it.

As he flew closer to it he could almost feel a little shriek come from it. It was scared, he realized. Sora flew past the heart to see if he could intercept it on the way down. It worked, the heart slowed to halt to avoid colliding with him. He reached out and it came to hover in his hands.

“Hey, its alright. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Sora spoke softly to the frightened being. He could feel it starting to calm a little.

_W...what are you?_

“My name's Sora. And, uh, I'm a person.”

_Sor…a? What’s a name? And a person?_

It suddenly dawned on him that the hearts in the stream were new hearts; those who had yet to meet reality and experience it for themselves. What did this mean the light at the end was, then? And what lied below?

“It's okay if you don't understand yet.” Sora replied. “But don't you wanna be with the rest of the hearts?”

_No, its scary!_

“You're scared of the light? How come?”

_I don't belong there... I came from the dark, so isn't that where I belong?_

“Don't say that, every heart deserves to be with the light. Even if it come from the dark.”

_How do you know?_

“Because inside of every heart is a light. There's one in you too, I can see it with my own eyes.”

_Light in me? Where?_

“You may not be able to see inside yourself, but it’s there. That's how I found you from so far away. Can you feel it?”

_I… I don't know. What is it like?_

“It’s a pleasant sort of feeling. Try to focus on that."

_...it's warm_

_…cozy…_

_…and safe._

“Yeah, that's it!” Sora beamed.

_Ohhhhhh... Now I get it! You're right, I do want to be with the light. But…_

Sora could feel a new sense of panic from the being in his hands.

“What's wrong?”

_But I went too far away! It's gone now! What if I can't find my way back?_

“Don’t worry, the light hasn't gone anywhere. It’s still right there where we left it. And I'm here with you, we can go back together!”

_You would do that? For me? That's… that's…_

They seemed to struggle to find a word to express what it was feeling now, but Sora understood well enough. There was gratitude. And hope. The heart even seemed to shine a bit brighter now.

* * *

The new being was full of curiosity. As they wandered together in the dark, Sora told stories of his adventures to fill the silence. He talked about the island he'd come from, all the amazing worlds he'd seen, and the things he'd learned and the friends he made along the way. He talked about the first time he flew, and about magic, and having fun. He talked about Little Chef's cakes, and magical attractions that he and his friends rode as they fought the heartless (the carousel was his favorite). The heart hadn't understood most of the terms Sora used, but still listened with enthusiasm. At long last, Sora spotted a glimmer in the distance.

“We're almost there!”

_Woo hoo!...Hey person, I forgot to ask. What are eyes?_

“Eyes? They help you find your way in the world and can come in all sorts of different sizes, shapes and colors. You'll probably have eyes of your own someday.”

_Woooooooow… I can have different sized eyes? I don't know what any of that means but I like it!_

Sora couldn’t help but laugh, that wasn't quite what he had meant.

_Hey person, what's that thing you did just now?_

“That's called laughter. It’s something that friends often do together when they're happy…”

Sora's thoughts drifted as he said it. His friends were out there somewhere and he might not ever be able to share a laugh with them again.

_What's wrong, person? You're not laughter now. Does that mean we're not friends?_

“It's not that. I’d consider you a friend.”

Sora hung his head. “Truth is, I'm scared.”

_Scared of what?_

“Scared I won't ever see my old friends again if I go into the light.” He replied, and rubbed his eyes as tears threatened to form.

_But I thought you said we all belong there?_

“I know. But I'm not new like everyone else here. I…I did something I wasn't supposed to. And I think that I'm now paying the price."

_Price? What's that?_

“It means that I'll lose something important to me. If I go to the light, I’m afraid that I’ll be starting all over again. I might not be me anymore. And I don't want that! I already have a place where I belong; a home and friends who I care about. I...can't lose them again.”

_What about the other place?_ _What if you go there instead?_

“The dark? I’m also afraid of what lies down there. It would be really dangerous. I'm not sure what might happen. But if the other place leads to a new life, then down there could be a way to fight for my old life back."

_I wouldn't be scared with a heart as bright as yours._

That statement caught Sora off guard.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Y _ou can't see it, but I can. I was scared of it at first because it was so bright. A heart like that will keep shining no matter where you end up.  
_

“Maybe, but what if I end up all alone?”

Yo _u've found friends everywhere you've been, even here in the nothing!_

It was kind of true. He couldn't help but crack little grin. It was like something Goofy would say; it was just the thing he needed at the right time.

“Thank you."

_I don’t know what thank you is, but it sounds nice! I want to try it!  
_

Together, the rose out of the shadows and into the clearing. They were back where they had started.

“Are you ready to go now?” Sora looked down at the little heart in his hands.

_Yeah! This whole “life” thing sounds really interesting._

Sora gently dropped his arms, and the stream slowly began to tug at his new friend.

_Thank you, person! I'll never forget you!_

Sora frowned.

“Oh. Uh, about that. You may not remember any of this, but our hearts will always know each other.”

_What?! You mean I'll have to relearn all this on my own?!  
_

"There will be others there to guide you. And-"

_AHH!_

Before Sora had time to finish, the heart had gotten swept into the stream as though it were a raging current.

Confused and screaming might be a rough way to start, but Sora had faith his little friend would recognize their inner light once again.

Sora was all alone. But he felt a little stronger now; more conscious of his own inner light.

Something was pulling him up into the light, and something else pulling down like gravity, keeping him tethered between two possibilities.

_“May your heart be your guiding key.”_

Perhaps it was time to do just that. He closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxing amidst the two forces. His heart would guide him to where he belonged.


End file.
